AAdvantage miles redemption coming soon on South America's budget carrier JetSmart

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AAdvantage miles redemption coming soon on South America's budget carrier JetSmart

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Mimi Wright Social media manager | The Points Guy

By Sky Industry News

Feb 12, 2025

American Airlines and JetSmart are in the process of finalizing details to allow AAdvantage miles redemptions on JetSmart flights. Victor Mejia, chief commercial officer of JetSmart, acknowledged that there have been "some challenges" in implementing AAdvantage as JetSmart's loyalty program. He shared this update at the Routes Americas conference in Nassau, Bahamas.

The collaboration between American and JetSmart began in July 2021 when they announced plans for JetSmart to adopt AAdvantage as its loyalty program. In September 2024, a significant milestone was achieved when AAdvantage members could earn miles and Loyalty Points on JetSmart flights across South America. However, the anticipated rollout of miles redemptions has yet to occur.

Mejia assured that AAdvantage redemptions will be available "very soon," though he did not specify an exact date but confirmed it would happen within the year. He emphasized the importance of this development for customers in Latin America who may have enough miles for shorter regional flights.

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American Airlines is a major player in Latin America with a substantial number of AAdvantage members. The airline has formed partnerships with Gol Airlines in Brazil and JetSmart throughout South America after LATAM shifted its alliance to Delta Air Lines in 2019.

JetSmart operates locally in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru and plans to expand significantly by increasing its fleet from 44 Airbus A320-family planes to over 100 by the end of the decade. Indigo Partners owns a majority stake in JetSmart while American holds about 35%.

Anmol Bhargava, vice president of global alliances and partnerships at American, highlighted how investment into JetSmart facilitates domestic expansion which supports long-haul growth for both airlines.

JetSmart aims to enhance its network within South America and expand northward from Colombia into the U.S., Caribbean, and Mexico as new aircraft arrive. The airline is also expanding its codeshare partnership with American Airlines to include Colombia by year's end.

Currently, nearly 10% of travelers on JetSmart include an AAdvantage number on their reservations—a figure expected to rise once mile redemptions become available.